The Wanderer and the Shadow Striders
by Sweey
Summary: After watching from the shadows an unknown Ranger appears in Araluen... what is his purpose and how does he know so much about the Rangers? Is he a spy? Why won't he tell anyone his name? Not even Halt seems to know who he is...
1. The Prologue

**_Sweey:_****_ Finally! I'm doing this! :) This is the prologue which I wrote in a poem. The rest is hopefully very similar to the way our favorite author John Flanagan writes. Of course, the next chapter involves two of our favorite Rangers. ^_^ Enjoy!_**

**The Ranger**

In a balanced stride, his leather boots landed upon the ground.  
His gloved hand reached for another branch above.  
With little effort he pulled himself smoothly higher into the branches and he perched himself upon one.  
As he sat, with hood pulled over his face, he could hear the sound of footsteps.  
Cocky footsteps.  
Footsteps of a murdering traitor who was overconfident.  
Confidence that would soon be shot down.  
Little did the man know he was stepping right into a deadly trap.  
No tracker could have warned him.  
No, the footsteps of the Ranger were far too delicate and light for the naked eye to behold.  
Then the traitor came into view.  
Hidden within the trees, the Ranger lifted his bow.  
The cold wind hissed around him and the leaves shuffled and scratched against one another.  
The traitor stopped, sensing eyes upon him, his own gazed into the dark forest.  
Never once did his eys look up.  
That was his one, fatal mistake.  
The Ranger fluidly painted an arrow upon the bowstring and let it fly.  
The arrow failed not to hit its target.  
When the traitor fell asleep to Death's song,  
and the Ranger slipped silently out of the tree and retreaved his arrow.  
Turning heel, he entered deeper into the shadow of the forest, seemingly vanishing into it.  
It was as though he was apart of it.  
The Ranger's services were no longer needed here.  
The tyrant was gone and the murderer dead like he deserved.  
The Ranger would not stay a day longer.  
Nor would he wait to hear the praises of the people he'd saved.

It was time to move on to a new realm.

A realm that needed his help.

And that was his unspoken farewell.

...

**The Knight**

His eyes caught sight of the vultures in the distance.  
That could mean only one thing: something was dead.  
As he approached the foul picture, the black birds scattered to the air.  
A horrid reak reached his nostrils as he studied the body.  
It was Stephen the traitor all right.  
The body wasn't very old, the knight could tell.  
He looked to find the cause of death.  
Perhaps it was just a spirit that had decided to take revenge for the dead...  
That thought was driven away when he saw the bloody wound in the man's neck.  
'An arrow', he thought.  
He was right.  
Now he knew who had helped them.  
But where was the Ranger?  
Nowhere, he soon discovered.  
He mounted his dappled steed and rode off to the kingless castle.  
As he rode he wondered why the stranger had wanted to help him...  
Sooner than he thought he'd find answers.  
For he did not know that a group of bandits were waiting to abush,  
on the other side of the stone bridge ahead.  
The hooves of the dappled gray horse clopped upon the stone.  
Without warning the world of the knight faded into shadow as he slid free from the stirrups and fell to the hard ground.

...

**The Bandits**

Their eyes watched as the knight passed over the bridge and closer to their position.  
They urged their mounts and ran out into the open to attack the unaware man.  
There may be only five of them, but that was enough to take this man down.

The knight, alerted by the sudden noise drew out his sword.  
But he was too late.  
The bandits were already upon him hacking their way towards him.  
One let the hilt of their blade fall on the back of his head.  
His eyes rolled to the heavens and he fell to the ground unconcious.

The leader of the Bandits, Kaldon, looked warily out into the early light of dawn.  
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could an knife flew through his throat, litterally cutting off his words.  
The others stood and watched as their leader fell, revealling the perilous and mysterious figure of a Ranger.

No sudden moves.

The man stood firmly, his gaze fixed upon the uncertain bandits before him.  
One by one they ran towards him, and one by one they fell dead.  
The hunters had become the hunted.

The Ranger looked at the unconcious knight.  
He recognized him as Sir Johnic.  
Quickly, the Ranger lifted the man back into his saddle and lead his gray steed into the woods.  
The Ranger began to wonder to himself as to what he would do about the knight.  
But that would all be done after Johnic had awoken.

With little else on his mind, the Ranger stepped back into the familiar shadows of the woods, leaving no trace of his existance of ever being at the small camp he had set up for the knight.  
He had decided he'd watch Johnic until he was awake. Then he would leave as though he had never been at watch.

...

**The Request**

Sir Johnic woke with a start.  
His eyes searched the shadows not realizing where he was.  
There was no sign of anyone.  
Somehow he knew he had been helped.  
That someone was a Ranger.

The Ranger watched the knight with unwavering eyes.  
Unmoving and unseen, he sat a few feet from Johnic's camp.  
He smiled, knowing that he would never be seen.  
It was time to go.

Johnic searched the trees.  
He wanted to thank the Ranger.  
But no sign was left of him anywhere.  
"Where are you! Please I want to see you!" he cried  
No answer came.  
But then, a man seemingly grew from the ground before him.  
Johnic jumped back, startled.

The Ranger smiled.  
Typical knight...

Johnic heald out his hand, "I am Sir-"

"Johnic of the Castle in Bardhick fief... the Battlemaster."

Johnic looked in surprise at the Ranger.

The Ranger waved the matter away. "It's amasing what you learn when no one expects you're listening."

Johnic hesitated, bitting his lower lip then spoke up, "I need help."

The Ranger nodded, "I know you did, so what now?"

Johnic glanced curiously at him, "The shadow men of the west, our enemies, are gathering."

The Ranger's eyebrow rose, "Well, maybe they're having a party."

Johnic rolled his eyes, "A party? More like a murdering party! I know you're skilled in unseen movement... I need you to sneak in and figure out what they're up to. I'll come with you."

The Ranger shrugged, "I don't see why not. Let's go." Immediately he got ready.

"Wait!" Johnic called after him.

"What?" The Ranger snapped in irritation.

"What's your name and why won't you show your face?" Johnic asked.

The Ranger grinned wolfishly from beneath the shadows of his deep cowl, "The less you know, the better off you are."

**_Sweey: _****_An unamed Ranger... hmm... and he seems to have no fief... well this is the poetic part and that's where the poeticness ends... :) I'll type up the next chapter here in a few. Please, read and review please! ^_^ Btw, spoiler alert! If you haven't read all the way to book 5 The Sorcerer of the North you should NOT read this! but you can... :3 If you desire to do so. It only mentions a few things that happened in the other books and a few minor ones from all of them. I'm already in love with this. The next chapter has Halt and Will in it btw. :3  
_**


	2. Ch 1 Two Minstrels

**_Sweey:_****_ Alright, once again SPOILER ALERT! I've read the entire written series, but if you've read up to book 5, 6, or 7 you should be okay. With that said and done, I'd like to tell you that if you're a more fanatic fan than I am, tell me if I get anything wrong or if any of the characters do something out of character. :) Thanks! Please enjoy this story! ^_^  
_**

Another hissed and landed with a thrilling thunk as it met the target. Will smiled with satisfaction. He had been practicing for a few hours now and he decided it was time to head to his cabin to bed down for the night.

The cabin was neat and clean as always. It had once belonged to the legendary Ranger Halt who now lived in an apartment at Castle Redmont with his new wife, Lady Pauline. Will grinned to himself. That legendary Ranger had been his master. The one who had taught him everything he knew, including the fact that there was never a time when a Ranger is good enough that he shouldn't need to practice. After all, practice does make perfect.

As he entered the cabin, he hung his quiver on the hook by the door and leaned his bow against the wall, but of course, he kept his two knives in their scabbards at his belt. His hand fell for the heavy saxe knife recalling when Halt had told him the origin of the name. The saxe knife was originally called a sea ax by it's creators, the sea raiding pirates, the Scandinavians.

Will grinned as he thought about all the trials he'd been through with the burly seamen. In the past, Will had been kidnapped by a sea captain named Erak then he helped his enemy alongside Halt, Horace, and Evanlyn, who was really Princess Cassandra, to save the frozen lands of Skandia from the horse archers, the Temajui. Erak then became Oberjarl and made a treaty between Araluen and Skandia, promising to discourage raiding the Araluen coastal villages. That is how Will, once nameless. had been given a last name, so now he was the legendary Ranger Halt's ex-apprentice, Will Treaty.

Will plopped into the soft chair that sat close by the fire and pulled his mandola out of its case. His fingers immediately went to poking and tuning the strings. When they finally were, Will broke out into an old favorite, Old Graybeard Halt.

_Graybeard Halt is a fighting man._

_I've heard common talk_

_that Graybeard Halt he cuts his hair_

_with a carving knife and fork._

_Fare thee well, Graybeard Halt,_

_tomorrow's another day._

_Graybeard Halt he lives with goats,_

_that's what I've heard tell._

_He hasn't changed his socks for years,_

_but the goats don't mind the smell._

_Fare thee well, Graybeard Halt,_

_fare thee well I say._

Of course, had Halt been present, he would have grouchily said how much he hated the song that Will had wrote to the tune of Old Joe Smoke.

Will grinned to himself. He'd probably say something along the lines of, "Will, your so bad at singing and playing that lute that I can't even hear myself think."

"Will, your so bad at singing while playing that there lute that I can't hear what I was thinking."

Will looked over into the seat beside him to discover that Halt had walked in and he began wondering how long he had been there. So he finally asked, "How long have you been there?"

Halt leaned back in the chair and interlocked his hands behind his head, "Oh, long enough to know that I, Graybeard Halt, the fighting man, who cuts my hair with a carving knife and fork, live with goats, and hasn't changed my socks for years... but the goats don't mind the smell."

Will grinned, "Me either." His grin grew even bigger when Halt scowled at him. In his apprentice years, Will would've been scared to death and ashamed of whatever he had done wrong in Halt's eyes, but now, he found it to be more of a game between the two of them. Though he was doubtless that that idea had ever crossed Halt's mind.

Will was then struck with curiosity as to why the grizzled Ranger was here. Sure, Halt visited, but always for a reason, "So, what is the problem?"

"Finally, a useful comment," Halt said with his usual tone of sarcasm, "Crowley is meeting us at Castle Redmont. In fact, he's already there. Horace will be there too. So, go saddle up Tug and grab your bow and let us go."

Will grinned, "Wow Halt! I didn't know you had it in you!"

Halt raised an eyebrow at him, "Had what in me?"

"That last phrase you said, grab your bow and let us go, it rhymed perfectly!"

Halt snorted, "Great, now I'm a minstrel like you. Oh what a fate _that _would be!"

"Maybe you should," Will said as he pulled the girth strap on Tugs barrel belly tighter.

"Oh dear. And why should I, Halt, go about singing and playing a lute for all to hear as though I have nothing to fear?" Halt demanded.

"Your rhyming is phenomenal Halt! You do it without even thinking! Great, fate. And this last statement you covered dear, hear, and fear!" Will exclaimed as he swung himself into Tug's saddle.

Halt scowled at him, "What can I say? I'm a man of many talents. This could go on for the rest of the day! So stop being such a pest and let's quit this jest!"

Will decided it was time to let his teacher off the hook, but not until one last comment. He brought Tug up to Abelard's side as they rode together towards the majestic Castle Redmont that towered in the distance.

Will turned and looked at his old teacher, "Come on Halt," he began, "It's not entirely my fault!"

The grizzled Ranger scowled once again at him, "This is a ridiculous game. You should be wallowing in shame."

Will nodded in mock understanding, "Oh why yes of course! By the way Abelard, your horse, looks like he has some powerful force in those haunches."

Halt glared at him, "Oh your some kinda source of comedy aren't you?"

Will grinned at him and decided to let the jest fade with the silence as the rode on through the village. He was now focused only on what Crowly was going to be telling them. Soon, his curiosity would be quenched.

**_Sweey:_ Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. :) I do not own Halt or Will or anything else that comes from the Ranger's Apprentice. I love the series! ^_^ And please, read and review! :D**


	3. Ch 2 The Unnamed Ranger

**Sweey:**** Alright! Here's the next chapter! ^_^ Thank you Dodo for reviewing! :) That really encouraged me! Well, without further ado, here's the next chapter! haha**

_**The Unnamed Ranger**_

"Good God Crowley? Where'd you put it?" Halt asked his old friend grouchily.

Crowley patted himself and searched any possible pack and pocket he owned as he searched for the document, "Ah! Here it is!" He said grinning as he pulled it out, "With all the mountains of homework I've got in my office, you think finding this little paper among my own belongings would be easy!" Crowley plopped in mock exasperation. "I'm getting too old for this!"

"Yes, too old to find a tiny paper in your pocket. We all know this Crowley so can we please continue onto the more important matters. Like for instance, why you called us here in the first place," Halt growled as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

Crowley assumed a hurt expression, "Do I have to have a reason to come visit you all? Maybe I was getting lonesome."

"You're a Ranger! You're life is to be alone!" Halt snorted.

"Didn't seem to stop you," Will said, taking Crowley's side in the argument.

"Glad to know I'm the Wargal here," Halt murmured.

"When do we eat?" Horace asked randomly.

The three Rangers looked at their friend in mixed expressions. Halt was scowling at him, Will was rolling his eyes, smiling, and Crowley stood with a stupid grin on his face.

"Well, you did say this would include some dinner!" Horace said in protest to their actions.

"Horace, we should wait till you're really hungry and just put a platter of food on the other side of the enemy and let you cut through them so that you can protect and devour your precious food."

Everyone turned to find Gilan standing there leaning on his longbow.

"Hey Gilan! Come join the party!" Crowley laughed in greeting as he himself finally took a seat.

"So, what is this all about?" Gilan asked the Chief Ranger.

"Yes Crowley, as you can see, we're all as hungry as Horace is for food to hear what it is you've called us here for," Halt agreed.

Will and Gilan exchanged glances. That was just like Halt. Both having been apprentices to the grim, grizzled Ranger, the two both enjoyed small parodies between each other about the older Ranger's quirks. But of course, they never let Halt become aware of it.

Crowley pulled out a paper and his humorous mood vanished. It was obvious what they were about to hear was very important so they all leaned forward to listen.

"I got news from Sir Johnic of Bardhick fief. It seems that their King has been killed." Crowley began.

"Bardhick fief?" Will and Horace said in unison.

Halt nodded, "Like Hibernia's has it's own coastal village, Selsey, the Bardhick fief is very similar to it. The boarding land Polandan east to Araluen has been allowed to share the fief with Araluen. You could call it the fifty-first fief. You see, in the past, small battles had broken out for control of it for it had profitable value to both countries. So, a treaty was issued between Polandan's king, King Idon and King Duncan recently, that decided that they would share the fief instead of fighting over it. King Idon had his castle there and the fact that he is dead is very troubling." He made a gesture for Crowley to continue.

"Thank you for clearing that up Halt," Crowley said, "Now, the fact that King Idon is dead is very troubling but the story behind it is even more confusing. He died by the betrayal of his adviser Stephen."

"Well, that's not that unusual," Horace declared, "As far as I know, that happens all the time."

Halt nodded, "Yes but as you've learned, if you're dealing with Rangers, that probably means that there's something more to the story, right?"

Horace blushed, "That's probably right."

Crowley grinned, "So as I was saying, Sir Johnic went after Stephen and discovered that he had been shot down by a single arrow. Of course he automatically assumed it was the arrow of a Ranger as it was in the same structure we build our own."

Halt's brows grew together and Will saw the expression. He then realized why the grizzled Ranger had done so.

He frowned, "But I thought there were only fifty Rangers assigned to each of the fifty fiefs."

Crowley pointed a finger at him, "That's exactly right. I've sent letters the surrounding Rangers of the three boarding fiefs but none had been there except for a patrol or two. The reason that this is so significant is that not only had this Ranger tracked down a traitor, he lead the dead king's army in a great victory against the Shadow Striders."

"The Shadow Striders? But I thought they had all been killed off back when Lord Roldin led his own army in a collision with them after they attacked Araluen," Horace said in puzzlement. Crowley studied him carefully then nodded.

"That's right, but they weren't." Crowley said again, "If even one of them survived, they'd spend all the time it takes to get their full force back."

"Who are the Shadow Striders exactly?" Will asked curiously.

Halt turned to him, "They, Will, are the ones whom we learned the art of not being seen from."

Gilan and Will both double glanced from Halt to Crowley. Both of the senior Rangers nodded.

"It's true, and they perfect it, even more than we do," Crowley added.

Horace's eyes widened as he could grasp anyone being better at unseen movement than Rangers.

"So is this unnamed Ranger a Shadow Strider?" Gilan asked.

"We'd like to think that, but we can't be sure. The fact that he led an attack on the Shadow Striders themselves pretty much ruled that one out. But the fact he know so many of the things we Rangers do really has me perplexed. Sir Johnic mentioned that the man never even revealed his face to him or anyone for that matter!" Crowley explained. "Gilan, you'll be staying here and filling in for Halt and Will here in Redmont."

The tall Ranger nodded, accepting his duties without protest.

"You three," Crowley gestured to Halt, Will, and Horace, "Are going to go get that impostor and bring him back here."

"Alive?" Halt asked.

Crowley regarded his old friend a moment, "As much as possible," he said with a wicked grin.

**_Sweey:_**** Well, I wonder who this unnamed "Ranger" is? Guess we'll both have to wait and see! Please read and review! ^_^**


	4. Ch 3 Fenon Fief

**Sweey****: Well, here's the next chapter. This next character, belongs to my friend who bears a similar name. :3 Thank you my friend for allowing the use of your character! :D Enjoy! **

**Fenon Fief**

Halt, Will, and Horace set out far before dawn on their journey. They had said their goodbyes and set off with Crowley until he had to part ways with them to go to Araluen fief back to his home in Castle Araluen. He waved goodbye to them and they went on their way, reaching Fenon fief about three days later.

Fenon was the seventeenth fief of Araluen and shared its border with Bardhick fief. There, they met Aidan Matthews, Ranger number seventeen.

He was a young fellow a few years older than Gilan and nearly as tall. His hair was bleached blonde by days in the sun and he had a scar over his right eye which had been caused by a poisoned dagger. The acid had eaten the color out of his eyes leaving its once deep, blue a cloudy gray, but thankfully his rescuer prevented him from going blind. After that, he became an apprentice to a Ranger and now he was one.

Aidan wasn't surprised at all when the two legendary Rangers met him. Crowley had told him days before. "Hello my fellow Rangers!" He called as he approached them on his shaggy mount. Surprisingly, the shaggy horse wasn't the usual brown that most Ranger horses were. Instead, it was a dark bay, almost black with a few white patches placed randomly here and there.

Despite the fact that Aidan had expected them, he couldn't help but stare in awe at the two legendary Rangers and the famous Oakleaf Knight that were mounted before him.

Halt regarded him with a raised eyebrow, "Is there a reason as to why you're staring at me like that?"

Aidan imitated Halt's expression and tone, "Is there a reason why you're asking?"

Halt rolled his eyes to the clear skies above, "Young people! Always-"

"-answer questions with questions!" Horace and Will finished for him in chorus. He glared at him, but the two knew that that was the equivalent of a grin in this case.

"You old people ask too many!" Aidan joked. He reminded Will of Gilan, only he was a bit shorter and meatier. "You're here for the mysterious stranger I assume?"

Halt, Will, and Horace exchanged confused glances and Aidan understood their puzzlement instantly.

"The unnamed Ranger, everyone around here has been calling him that. Some of the villagers claim to have seen him but I still haven't been able to track him down," Aidan explained, "He's almost as good at not being seen as he is not leaving a trail!"

"Can you take us to the villagers who have seen him?" Will asked the blonde haired Ranger.

Aidan nodded, "Of course. I was headed there right now. It's just over that hill." He turned his shaggy pinto around and rode towards it with the others following alongside him.

"What's your horse's name?" Horace asked as he looked down from atop his massive battle horse, Kicker.

Aidan grinned, "Not Shorty, if that's what you're wondering."

Horace frowned with concern, hoping that he hadn't hurt Aidan's feelings. Aidan waved it away.

"His name is Diablo. He's almost as much of a devil as Halt here."

Halt snorted and to his shock, so did Diablo. Halt eyed the shaggy pinto skeptically and the little pinto seemed to do the same to Halt.

"So," Halt began, releasing his gaze from the feisty pinto and making eye contact with Aidan, "This unnamed Ranger, you yourself haven't seen him, but others have?"

Aidan smirked ruefully at the grizzled Ranger, "Well, seems he has me wrapped up in a little game of fox and hound."

Horace twitched in confusion and the blonde Ranger noticed the movement.

"Apparently, he's the fox and I'm the hound. He leads me on unpredictable and cleverly laid out false trails, then the tracks suddenly stop in the middle of open land! Once, he took it upon himself to jump onto a roof, scale a nearby cliff, and then changed directions entirely. He seems to not have any specific destinations. Though, he never moves too far from the border between Fenon and Bardhick."

Horace thought a moment about what the Ranger had said as he chewed on his bottom lip, "So, he's just wandering around aimlessly?"

Aidan's head dipped to confirm the question.

"I don't think it's aimless wandering… from what you just told us, Aidan, he's consistent in the fact that he refrains from wandering too far from the boarder," Will stated as he shifted in Tug's saddle. The shaggy little pony tossed his head at his owner's odd movement. He looked at Will with one, brown intelligent eye that seemed to say, _Warn me next time!_

Will grinned then his attention turned back to Horace as he spoke.

"Maybe he's just a diversion for something bigger."

Halt frowned, considering the knight's suggestion, "It's a possible explanation but why don't we wait until we have more facts than just a few assumptions before making such a huge judgment. Though, do keep that in mind."

Horace smiled and jerked his head down in a nod, "Of course."

"We're here!" Aidan announced. They had just reached the top of a large hill with a gradual slope and were now looking at a large village deep in a forested valley.

"This is SpearValley village," Aidan enlightened them, "The people here are in between chattery and closemouthed," then he added, "That is… depending on the circumstances."

He was right, Will realized. As they approached the village, the muffled hum of overlapping conversations reached his ears. Though as soon as the chatting villagers caught sight of the three Rangers and Horace, they immediately fell silent and watched the as they passed them by. Soon, the entire village of SpearValley was dead quiet.

Aidan led the group of three towards a hut that was set slightly apart from the rest of the buildings. He dismounted Diablo and racked his knuckles on the door three times.

The door cracked open with just enough space for the person inside to peek through at the blonde haired Ranger. Then it swung open revealing a dirty, scrawny, old woman. She smiled a broad toothless grin at the tall Ranger.

"Well lookee here! If it isn't Matthews!"

Aidan smiled, it was evident the two were old friends, "Hello Ms. Laona, may I ask a few questions concerning said stranger?"

Her face darkened at the mention of the stranger. Ms. Laona was without a doubt, very old. Her hair was pale gray and framed her wrinkled face with its frizzy poof. She was extremely thin and frail and wore a faded burlap dress that was patched in several places more than once. Her eyes darted around the trees nervously as if the stranger would appear there. "Alright," she said finally.

Halt urged Abelard beside Diablo, "Can you tell us what his face looked like?"

Ms. Laona shook her head, "Only part of it. I could see his jaw and the stubble of a brown beard, though it wasn't very thick. In fact, it wasn't much of a beard at all. The rest of his face was hidden in shadow by his hood."

"What about the cloths he wore? Anything we can identify him with?" Will asked. It was important to know every detail that was doable.

"He wore a cloak just like yours and his cloths were earthy like yours as well. His shir was the most noticeable thing about him. It was tight and cut sleeveless and a long leather strap was wound around his torso under his breast like a bandage."

"Was he armed?" Horace voiced. Halt raised an eyebrow at the way the young knight had worded his question.

The woman's eyes widened slightly and she nodded, "Yes, with two bows like yours, one smaller than the other and overlapping. And strapped to the back of his arms rested two, long, silver knives and there's no doubt he's got more in his cloths."

"Did he have anyone with him?" Will queried the old woman. She looked up and nodded.

"A sleek horse," she replied, "A blue stallion."

Will threw a glance at Halt. The grizzled Ranger's brows were scowling in confusion as he stroked his peppered gray beard.

"A blue horse?" Horace echoed, "How blue?"

"Blue as the sky," she confirmed blissfully, "Marked like a bay," she tugged gently on Abelard's black mane, "Sept it was more navy than black."

"Well, is there anything else we should know?" Aidan asked politely as he remounted Diablo.

The old woman nodded, "His horse, its face was so navy it was almost black but its eyes… they were so white they were almost glowing. I think the poor beast was blind. He stood with the stranger over there yonder." She pointed to a natural clearing between the pine forest and the cliffs beside it.

Halt rode slowly over too it and leaned back, smiling. That was just what he had been looking for.

Tracks.

**Sweey:**** Wonder where the tracks will take them…. :3 I wonder who this stranger is? Hmm…. Guess we might find out soon. Haha! And a blind, blue horse? Interesting…..**

**Please read and review! ^_^**


	5. Ch 4 The Round Star

**_Sweey: Sorry for the long wait. I've been working on a LOT of other projects. This one just happened to be a slower one… and less important. You see, I have more reviewers in my other franchises, so I'm sure you understand. I love the Ranger's Apprentice, so don't get me wrong. So without further ado, enjoy this next chapter._**

**Chapter Four: _The Round Star_**

Halt and Will had broken off from Horace and Aidan some days ago to follow another branch of tracks off the main trail. It was uncanny and simply bizarre how the unnamed Ranger seemed to be one place then another entirely. They continued onward until once again the tracks stopped cold in the middle of an open field.

Halt's brows drew into a deep V as he concentrated, trying desperately to fit all the broken ties together. There were so many things they had seen, none of which provided them any answers to the mystery.

"Look there, there's another trail of hoof prints coming towards the place where he last stood," Will pointed out. It would have been a grand solution, if the hooves hadn't gone towards the place where the fraud Ranger had once stood in the middle of a prairie.

"I just can't figure it out!" Halt snorted irritably, "These tracks just don't make any sense! I mean, there's got to be a solution, but I don't see a single sign of any possible place this unnamed Ranger could have disappeared off to!"

Will was struck dumb by Halt's reaction; he glanced down at the end of the unnamed Ranger's tracks and looked back again when he saw something peculiar.

It was a symbol, drawn in the dirt. It was shaped like a star like on a compass, with eight prongs, four long, four short, each pointing in the exact directions, North, West, East, and South; though instead of the prongs coming to a sharp point, they were rounded at the ends, looking almost like an oak leaf in its shape. Circled around it was an ovular stroke with two lines coming off its top, level with the north and south points of the star. The lines stretched on vertically about a foot before getting cut off with a horizontal streak about an inch in length. For a sketch in the dirt it was quite elaborate, almost as if it had been imprinted into the ground with a stamp of some sort.

"Halt, you need to see this," Will said, gesturing to the symbol in the dirt where he squatted before it. Halt came over and looked at it then to Will, "Go get something to write on and sketch it out, I think this will help us a great deal."

Will nodded and went to his saddle bag, Tug nickering softly to him as he approached. "_What's going on?"_ The horse seemed to say.

Will smiled, "I think we found the answer we were searching for." With a brief pat, he took the sheet of parchment and a shard of charcoal from the saddle bag before returning to the place where the round star was.

Will had a difficult time sketching it out, often smearing away mistakes with his sleeve, which by now had turned black with the utensil's powdery substance. With a great smile and a brief sigh of success he held it up for Halt to see.

"Not bad," Halt grunted as he looked up from his own piece of parchment where an identical, if not better, version of the symbol rested.

Will looked ruefully at the older Ranger's craft, though it was only slightly better than his own he realized. Then he noticed a slight detail that was missing from their drawings that remained dominant on the original symbol.

"There's an eye in front of the prong pointing west and another at the southern prong," he pointed out. In fact there was, a simple diamond with a circle for the pupil and iris, three triangles forming lashes, and a tear on the bottom lid. The eye was looking in the direction designated which happened to be west. The other eye that rested beneath the southern prong was closed, probably symbolizing the goal to disappear.

The two Rangers exchanged glances before looking west to discover that the horse's tracks were coming from that exact direction and sure enough, the man's tracks were coming from the south.

"So, it's a map?" Will decided, not too certainly. He watched as Halt shook his head.

"I'm not so sure it's a map," Halt said thoughtfully, brows drawn in focus. "I think it's actually indicating what direction he's going next. I believe the unnamed Ranger wants us to follow him, but all the while doesn't what someone else to find him."

Will nodded, that made more sense. He looked back at the symbol, "So, should we follow the place his horse came from?"

"Yes," Halt agreed, "But brush that symbol away. If he has someone else following him, I'm sure he doesn't want whoever that someone is to find the symbol and catch up. That could be a problem for both us and the unnamed Ranger."

After clearing away the strange symbol, the two Rangers mounted and began following the tracks of the horse backwards, back to the place where the rumored blue horse had once been.

…

Aidan studied the strange picture once more, not sure what it meant. They had found a strange symbol at the end of a set of tracks. From what it read it was telling them to follow the tracks of the man backwards in the direction the open eye looked to. The horse, it seemed, had run off in another direction, the direction that the other eye was closed to.

After brushing away the symbol and a brief smile to Horace, who was mounted high upon Kicker, Aidan pulled himself into Diablo's saddle and the little, feisty pinto danced sideways, awaiting the next command of his master.

"I think we've finally found the answer, Horace," Aidan stated cheerfully. "Come, this way!"

And they set off to backtracking the man's tracks from where he had come from. Soon, they'd come face to face with the stranger, the wandering, unnamed Ranger, should things go well for them.

**Sweey:_ These chapters are much shorter than the lengths I typically write. They'll get longer as the story becomes more consistent and farther into the storyline. Don't worry, there's still a lot of action and storyline coming. This is only just the beginning. So, please tell me what you think of it so far. :)_**


	6. Ch 5 Face to Face with the Faceless

**Sweey:**_**Look at me being all consistent! Ha! Okay, this is the next chapter. Who is this unnamed Ranger and what exactly is he doing here? Find out now! :3**_

**Chapter Five: **_**Face to Face with the Faceless**_

A light mist started pouring that evening and about an hour into it, Will and Halt heard hoof beats.

They stopped, turned their horses around to greet the unknown guests, puzzled as to why their horses didn't warn them of the other riders sooner.

"Ello Halt, Will!" Aidan's voice called out as he waved to them.

"Aidan? What are you doing here?" Halt asked, puzzled.

"I'm guessing you two found that strange star symbol as well," Horace said.

Will nodded, "Yeah, we did. It pointed us into this direction. Apparently, we're catching up to the unnamed Ranger."

"Enough chit chat and more moving," Halt snorted, waving them all forward.

Diablo snorted in return but followed nonetheless.

They rode on for about another hour and once again, the tracks stopped.

"Damn!" Halt hissed, "What in God's name does this unnamed Ranger want from us!"

"I want you to be quiet so that we may speak."

The four friends stopped cold, pupils widened to look into the dark, searching for the face of the voice.

"Who are you?" Halt demanded, "Show yourself!"

"And why have you been impersonating a Ranger?" Will added, feeling Tug dance nervously to the side.

"What have I done to deserve such malevolence? All I've done is served you," the voice asked genuinely. It was melodious and silky, like a small stream flowing over a bed of smooth, worn rocks.

Everyone was caught speechless, not sure what to say to that. However, Halt revived easily from the moment of shock.

"Step into the light," Halt said, his voice a slight gentler than it had been before, but not by much.

Something stirred in the shadows after those words and a moment later, the head of a blue horse came to view, white eyes seemingly glowing against its dark, navy colored face. Gradually its chest and light blue coat were visible to them and then, in a moment of silence, the rider emerged into the light.

Every detail that was described of him by Ms. Laona had been true. The four who stood there could feel his hidden gaze staring into the very inner core of their souls from the shadow that was cast over his face by the yawning hood he wore and his mouth was a line upon a rigid jaw flecked by the shadow of a brown beard. He didn't smile, nor did he frown, he was emotionless. Even his cloak was of a pattern akin to the ones Araluen Rangers wore and it was held together by a silver brooch. Leather strips wrapped around his torso below his breasts in a fashion one would dress a wound. The unnamed Ranger's belt was black leather, to accompany the black leather of his boots, and the belt's main strap split into three braids in the back attached by two metal pieces secured to the main strap and held various items like a purse and a water skin, though strangely, Will found no knife scabbards there. On his gauntlets, Will noticed a similar symbol to the one they found in the dirt engraved into its leather-bound surface. In one hand covered with a black, leather, fingerless glove was the strange bow that the old woman had described to them. It formed the shape of a longbow but had a shorter, additional band of wood over the longer and joined at the handle creating the compound features to that Ms. Laona had described the bow with.

"Who are you?" Will stammered in awe. His jaw snapped shut and he startled back a little when the intensity of the man's eyes were set upon his own, but he easily regained his composure.

"First tell me why you have been hunting me for three days now, then I might consider telling you my name," the hooded stranger replied with nothing more than a hint of emotion.

Halt came forth with the answer, "We were told that you were going around under the title Ranger, though we've never heard of you before and you're not listed in our corps registration files so we came to investigate. The only way we could catch up with you and discuss this matter is if we could find you. The only way to do that was to track you down, which by no means was anything short of an ordeal. My friends and I would greatly appreciate it if you would explain your reason for wandering here in Araluen."

The stranger smirked slightly at Halt's choice of words in his last statement, "Wandering. Yes, that was what you'd call it. If you must know then I'll inform you that I arrived here only to aid your country. My kin are having trouble dealing with those you know as the Shadow Striders. I was sent by our chief in effort to bring an end to their approach to devastate Bardhick fief. They had killed King Idon and slipped in with their spies already by the time I'd arrived. Apparently they don't just want to stop with Bardhick fief. Already their men are slipping into this fief and those around it until one by one they'll have control of Araluen," the stranger paused and sighed confidently, "Unless of course, their plans are thwarted."

Halt and Will exchanged glances as the critical points of their quest became more evident to them. They had to act fast, or Araluen would be lost to the Shadow Striders. But one unanswered question was still a mystery to them: Who was this man?

It was Aiden who approached this mystery, "They are calling you the unnamed Ranger, so please, eradicate the petty rumors and tell us who you are."

The stranger shrugged, "I am known as Stranger the Wanderer. That is the name I am known by and that is what you shall call me."

Horace scowled slightly in confusion, "That can't be your real name, tell us your real name and stop playing around."

Stranger's teeth bared a moment with irritation, "You can't imagine what it's like when having to sign into an inn with a name like Stranger. That is my name, Stranger of Polandan."

"Well, why not change it?" Horace asked simply.

"We Wanderers can't do such acts. We must remain unknown," he said gravely as he urged his horse forward slightly more.

"Wanderers, so who are the Wanderers exactly?" Halt asked firmly, his curiosity beaming from his gray eyes.

Had they been able to, they'd have seen one of Stranger's brows rise slightly, "Wanderers are exactly what Rangers are, only slightly more extreme…. If that's how one would describe it."

The Araluen's faces scrunched in puzzlement at his words so he tried to elaborate further, "Wanderers are much the same to Rangers as they are trained in the art of stealth and unseen movement. Instead of equipping solely with specific weapons such as your longbow and saxe knife, we are split into four groups during our apprenticeship and each has their own weaponry to study. After which, one from each of the four groups are joined into a team, others work alone. We are also required to use alternate names and identities to prevent our friends and family to be threatened by our enemies. To achieve this, we alter our appearance while working as a Wanderer and resume our regular routines while not on the job. Make a slight more sense now?"

The three Rangers nodded slowly as they dissected and analyzed what the Wanderer had just told them, storing it in the depths of their fathomable minds to report to Crowley later. Horace on the other hand, had a few more questions.

"So these Shadow Striders… who exactly are they?"

Stranger's features hardened a bit at that question and he cocked his head, "They are those who are not seen, heard, felt, they do not exist."

Horace scowled, "So this was all a big joke? To think I actually thought you were serious." He looked around at the others expecting them to join in, but found they were all staring expectantly at Stranger awaiting a further explanation.

"The Shadow Striders taught the Wanderers and the Rangers their unseen skills. Most of these men work as hired swords and assassins. Right now they are mustering under an unknown leadership. My fellow Wanderers are trying hard to decipher their movements, but still have come up with nothing. We're turning to our brothers, the Rangers, for help and I ask you on behalf of my kin for your help."

"We accept," Halt said quickly and that being said, no one was about to challenge Halt's decision. Well, other than Diablo, who snorted in retort, only to receive a glare from Halt.

"What would we do without you Halt?" Will asked with a smirk.

Halt scowled and rolled his eyes to the heavens, "You'd be dead."

Will shrugged, "Without me, likewise."

Halt snorted, though his grim manner subsided at those words. They were true after all.

**Sweey:**_** I was without my notes so I decided to update this story again! :3 Sorry for leaving everyone dry for so long… heh… life and it's cruelties! :) I hope you're all enjoying this story. Please review! ;D**_


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